NGPP Residency at Lafayette College

Days after I returned from my amazing adventures in Germany with KYL/D, I traveled with the Nora Gibson Performance Project to a residency at Lafayette College.

A GIANT Thank YOU to the Lafayette College faculty and staff and Ben Munisteri! The space was beautiful! The Inn where we stayed was welcoming and cozy! The opportunity to work with Nora for 5 hrs a day was a luxury!

I was almost too engrossed in the experience to take some pictures, but here are a few:

The beauty of the light streaming into the window and creating dancing
shadows on the floor gave me a little extra inspiration after four
hours of rehearsal and pointe...

This was my view from "barre" as I warmed up before each rehearsal.

Best friends! Beautiful shoes. My notebook. Oofos (AMAZING post-pointe shoes!!)
Get Oofos here
(I don't get any proceeds for endorsing Oofos - they just feel amazing and
help after a long day of rehearsal)

Nora working out Math and Composition problems

This is what happens when I asked them to "do something"!

Action shots! Thank you to the Lafayette photographer who also took some images and shared them with us so I could share with you! (There were a lot more, but some of them contained images of students and I didn't want to invade anyone's privacy by posting them). 

Stay tuned for updates as to when the work that we created during this time will be publicly shown! We did have a showing at the end of the residency, but I was too busy dancing to post information about that (Sorry!).

Remembering Germany

At the end of August, KYL/D performed at the International Tanzmesse Festival in Germany. The stage and the studios were beautiful and a dream to dance in and on! Thank you to everyone who supported us on our journey!

If a picture's worth a thousand words, I'll share some instead of trying to translate them into words:

Series 1: Architecture.
The architecture was beautiful and inspiring. Buildings that look like the coo-coo clocks I grew up with lined the streets. They were complimented by many contemporary buildings that boasted the same grandeur, but with a very different aesthetic perspective.

Series 2: The Dance Spaces
From my understanding, the Art is government sponsored. The studios and the theatre spaces were soft, inviting, and breathtaking. They begged to be danced in and created in. The Tanzhaus (Dance house) had several spaces like the one in which we rehearsed and there were posters all over the city with information on the space and the performances it was hosting.

Snacks in the dressing room provided by our hosts! Thank you!

Wally and Stephen (KYL/D's lighting designer) backstage

The lighting grid

Welcome!!

This way to the stage!

Backstage while the crew was mopping the floor

On our way!

Studio rehearsal

Beautiful space! Check out the windows and the skylights!

Series 3: The People
Thanks to the KYL/D family for your openness, honestly, adventure, and sensitivity during this trip! We had a lot of fun not only dancing together, but growing as a company!

Post-performance imitation of the festival poster

Boat trip

Navigating the streets to find the Bikram Yoga studio (yep! Dancers are always on the move!)

Post performance group shot

Dress rehearsal - Mandala Project 3 by Kun-Yang Lin

Dress rehearsal - Mandala Project 3 by Kun-Yang Lin

Getting back into the swing of things...

Please excuse the disruption in my writing. I've been traveling and dancing and creating and teaching and thinking a lot in the past few weeks, but I haven't sat down to include you, my readers. I'm sorry! I had also been questioning the purpose of the blog and writing. I've often questioned the purpose of what I was doing. I've been provided many reminders through performing and teaching over the last few weeks.

One of these reminders came as a surprise to see a packed audience for KYL/D's performance in Germany and to learn that the art there was so supported by the government that it was part of the everyday culture of the population.

One of these reminders came in the form of a student question. Nora and I traveled to Muhlenberg during NGPP's residency at Lafayette College to meet with some students and talk about the challenges of living life as an artist after college. "How do you be a person in the world? How do you relate to people who don't understand you." The work we do is important! I responded... and in doing so reminded myself that we, as dancers, work so hard to create beauty and to ask questions of our world, and our work does matter. It's different than the neurologist and the farmer and the psychologist and the construction worker, but we're all different and we need different people to do different things. We, as dancers, create beauty... and create works that build community, challenge societal norms, and question the status quo...

One of these reminders came from a fellow dancer who recommended a book for inspiration. In a admitted moment of self doubt, she prompted, "You'd be surprised at what you offer people and what people have learned from you."

One of these reminders came from a dear family member who, although not entirely sure of what I did or why, was interested enough to sit with me over the fire, ask really intriguing questions, and tried to understand my viewpoint and my art.

One of these reminders came from a fellow artist who, despite personal hardship and challenges, repeatedly throws himself into his artwork and makes himself vulnerable through his process. In doing so, he's touched and changed many lives.

So, I'm getting back into the swing of things with my writing. I'd love to hear what you're interested in and what you'd be interested in learning with me.

Thank you!